Transcript The First Crusade Game

The First Crusade: a very simple introduction
6
Spain
Greece/
Turkey
5
Asia Minor
1
3
4
Holy
Land
2
Label the following:
England, [France], [Italy], [North Africa], Holy Roman Empire
The Crusades Game
Team Name:
During every round of the game,
you will listen to a newsflash.
Newsflash
Where are
you?
Decision
(e.g. A)
(e.g. 7)
Points
Scored
(Tally)
1
This newsflash will tell you about
an event that took place before
or during the Crusades.
You have two jobs to do after
reading each newsflash:
2
1. Identify the place (shown in
bold) on the map and write
down the location number
on this scoresheet.
3
4
5
6
Total Points:
2. Decide what you want to do
next – you will be given
points for doing the right
thing, or if you make the
wrong decision, you might
die… write down your
decision on the scoresheet.
Newsflash 1: The Crusades
• It is 1095. It is just under thirty years since William of Normandy
conquered England (1066), and became King of England.
• You are a knight, living in Normandy, and you have been given land by
William to reward your family for fighting for him in the Battle of
Hastings. The nearest town is Rouen, and you attend church here. It is
in Rouen, at church, that you bump into your old friend, Antoine.
• Antoine tells you about the latest news – which has taken 10 weeks to
get here from the Middle East – that Muslim-controlled Jerusalem has
been taken over by Seljuk Turks (a different Muslim group), who are not
allowing Christians to enter the city.
• Your reaction to this news is…
A. To celebrate! You, as a Christian living in Normandy, hate Muslims and so
it’s much better to not visit a Muslim city
B. To not be bothered. Jerusalem is about 2,500 miles away – who cares?
C. To be angry! Jerusalem is a holy city, and Christians should be allowed to
worship there.
Germany
Normandy
Spain
Greece/
Turkey
5
Asia Minor
1
3
4
Holy
Land
2
2 Points if you correctly identified location number 6
1: The Results
• A (celebrate): no one else is happy - Jerusalem is the
birthplace of Jesus, the son of God! People are outraged that
you could be happy that you can no longer visit Jerusalem.
You are thrown out into the street and excommunicated (sent
to hell when you die). 0 points.
• B (not bothered): you are the only person who isn't bothered
by this news - people need to be able to visit Jerusalem to
pray at the tomb of Jesus! Then some of their sins can be
forgiven. You are the only one to leave the Church, whilst
everyone else stays to hear more, and whilst you live, you
take no further part in the crusades. 1 point.
• C (angry): of course you are angry! Although Muslims think
Jerusalem is sacred, you are such a strong Christian that you
feel you must get Jerusalem back. 3 points.
Jerusalem was the
most important
place in the world
for Christians
because Jesus was
born there and was
buried there.
How can we tell
from this Medieval
map that Jerusalem
was very important?
Newsflash 2: The Crusades
• As you are talking with Antoine, the fat priest comes almost running
down the transept. “It’s a message from the Pope!” he declares, “He
wants men to go on Crusade to fight the Muslims and regain Jerusalem
for Christianity!” You wait, anxiously, while the priest catches his breath.
• “The Pope has said that Muslim Turks (‘Saracens’) have been killing
many Christians and have destroyed Christian Churches. The Pope says
France is overcrowded and the Holy Land can provide wealth and new
homes. He is going to go on a tour around all the Churches of France to
try and persuade knights to travel to the Holy Land and to free
Jerusalem from the Muslims – and that’s not all! He has said something
really amazing which means that everyone will want to go on crusade!”
• What do you think the Pope has said?
A. If you go on Crusade, he will shower you with wine and gold
B. If you go on Crusade, he will let you marry more than one woman
C. If you go on Crusade, all your sins will be forgiven and you will be
guaranteed a place in heaven.
Germany
6
Spain
Greece/
Turkey
5
Asia Minor
1
3
4
Holy
Land
Jerusalem
2 Points if you correctly identified location number 2
2: The Results
• A (for wine and gold): you have enough wine and enough
money after William gave you all of your land in Normandy!
Travelling to Jerusalem would cost you a fortune anyway –
probably much more money in horses, horseshoes and suits
of armour than you could get back. 1 point.
• B: (marry more than one woman): don’t be silly the bible
says that this is wrong! You can only ever marry one woman. 0
points.
• C (go to heaven): wow, a chance to kill people (which is your
job as a knight) AND get a guaranteed place in heaven? This is
too good to be true – and an offer you can't refuse. 3 points.
Newsflash 3: The Crusades
• A month later, the Pope visits Rouen. You are signed with the cross and
make preparations to travel to Jerusalem. You spend lots of money buying
chainmail, horses and supplies. 60,000 people set out in the summer of
1096, a year after you started your preparations.
• Your band of men is led by a man called Duke Robert, who tells you that all
the crusaders are to assemble in Constantinople (now called Istanbul) by
the spring of 1097. Constantinople is a Christian city, but is ruled by an
Emperor and not the Pope. The people there follow the Greek Orthodox
Church – a different church to your own. The Emperor says that all lands
taken from the Muslims by the Crusaders must be returned to him. Your
reaction to this demand is:
A. You accept. He used to own the land so he should have it back. You don’t want
to annoy the emperor, as he owns the city where you’re staying.
B. You say ‘yes’ to the emperor’s face, but then plan to go back on your word
once you’ve left the city and captured the land. You captured it – so you
should have it, on behalf of your leader, the Pope.
C. You say no. The land should go to the Pope instead. He was the man who set
up the Crusade, and he is God’s representative on earth.
Germany
6
Spain
Greece/
Turkey
Constantinople
Asia Minor
1
3
4
Holy
Land
6
2 Points if you correctly identified location number 5
3: The Results
• A (accept what the Emperor asks) having assured the emperor that
you will give back any land you re-take from the Muslims, he is
happy, and gives you some supplies, but he doesn’t give you anyone
from his own army to help you. The crusaders think you're a bit soft
to make a promise to someone who isn't your leader and you have
problems dealing with discipline in your army after this. 1 point.
• B(accept, but plan not to do it) deceitful, but cunning. You manage
to reassure the emperor and get some supplies for your journey,
but you also show your men that you are still loyal to the Pope. 3
points.
• C (refuse what the Emperor asks) because you refused the oath,
you are attacked by the emperor's soldiers in the night. You die. 0
points.
Newsflash 4: The Crusades
• In the Spring of 1097, you cross into Asia Minor, and
into Muslim territory. The land is very dry and desertlike. In May, you begin the siege of Nicaea, a town in
Asia Minor. You want to take the city quickly. It is this
next decision, that ensures that you are successful
against the Muslims…use the ‘attacking a castle’ sheet
to help you make your decision…
A. Use miners to dig underneath the towers, so that they
collapse. Then enter the city and attack the defenders.
B. Use all your forces together to make a direct assault on
the city. Using all your forces at once should make sure
that you are successful.
C. Construct a series of siege towers to help your forces to
make an attack over the castle walls.
D. Use the trebuchets that you brought with you from
Constantinople to destroy the castle walls.
Attacking a Castle
To conquer a territory, an attacking army would have to strike and take the castles that were
used to control the local area. To do so, they would launch a siege.
1. Tunnel
Men called “sappers” dug tunnels to gain entrance to a castle and thereby launch a sneak
attack, but more often, these miners dug tunnels beneath a castle wall to destabilize and topple
it. To defend themselves, castle dwellers put out a bowl of water and watched for ripples that
might indicate digging. Also, digging tunnels took a long time which allowed time for defenders’
reinforcements to arrive.
2. Direct Assault
A direct assault was the most dangerous way for attackers to try to take a castle. Soldiers either
scaled walls with ladders or overran castle walls breached by tunnels, battering rams, or
cannons. Archers and crossbowmen would cover soldiers while they tried to break a wall.
Defenders, perched on the castle wall or in narrow windows called loopholes, literally had the
upper hand. Archers rained arrows down on attackers.
3. Siege Tower
Attackers sometimes built a siege tower to scale the castle walls. Soldiers lay in wait inside the
structure as others wheeled it to the castle. Once there, the soldiers lowered a drawbridge at
the top of the tower onto the castle wall. Siege towers were difficult and time-consuming to
build, however, and castle defenders could burn them down with fire arrows.
4. Trebuchet
During a siege, these missile launchers relied on a huge counterweight that swung a long arm.
When the counterweight was dropped, the device launched a missile from a sling at the end of
the arm. Trebuchets could launch missiles hundreds of yards in large, lobbing arcs at or even
over a castle wall. Sometimes they even shot out the severed heads of enemy soldiers. If a
trebuchet was set up too close to a castle, archers would harass its builders with arrows and
catapults would be shot from the castle wall to destroy the trebuchets.
Germany
6
Spain
Greece/
Turkey
5
Asia Minor
3
Nicaea
4
Holy
Land
6
2 Points if you correctly identified location number 1
4: The Results
• A (mining): digging a mine takes weeks, and 70% of your troops die
from starvation in the meantime (there is little food to find in the
desert around you). You are able to topple one wall, but this is
quickly repaired. The rest of your army return home, broken-hearted
and heavily in debt. 1 point.
• B (direct assault): 90% of the troops die in the attack, as the
defenders rain arrows down upon your crusaders from the city walls.
0 points.
• C (siege towers): you find enough wood in the land around you to
make one siege tower, but that's it. This is the desert, remember?
The siege tower allows 20 soldiers to cross onto the city walls before
it is burnt down. The 20 soldiers are taken prisoner. 1 point.
• D (trebuchets): a great idea. The trebuchets are effective against the
city walls and you are soon able to get your army inside. 3 points.
Newsflash 5: The Crusades
• After the successful siege of Nicaea, the Muslim opposition crumbles
away before you. You continue your journey. Soon, you are far enough
East, and so you head South for some miles, where you reach Antioch,
the first big city that you need to take in the Holy Land.
• You agree that this city is too big to take by force, so you decide to
starve out the city. But the city continues to receive supplies in secret.
Soon, you run out of food. People are having to eat their own horses just
to stay alive and not starve! What will re-motivate your troops and give
them the courage needed to take this city?
A. Force all of your troops to make a full-scale assault on the city.
B. Split your troops into two – one part will stay and continue to try and stop
supplies coming into the city, and the other will turn back and try to get
reinforcements from the Christians in Constantinople.
C. Ban all gambling and drinking, and, using a piece of wood you found
beneath the city, say that you have found the spear that stabbed Christ’s
side when he was dying on the cross.
Germany
6
Spain
Greece/
Turkey
5
1
Antioch
4
Holy
Land
6
2 Points if you correctly identified location number 3
5: The Results
• A (direct assault): about half of the men start attacking, yet the
other half run away back home to Europe. You don't have
enough men to continue your journey to Jerusalem (most of
them have now died in the direct assault or have deserted you)
and so you have to return home. 0 points.
• B (split and find reinforcements): by splitting your forces you
have split your strength. The soldiers returning to
Constantinople are ambushed and killed. You don't have
enough men to continue your expedition and so have to return
home. 0 points.
• C (find the cross): what a stroke of genius to go back to the
original reason why people went on crusade (religion) and
remind the army what they are fighting for. Your army's
newfound energy and determination ensure you are victorious.
3 points.
Newsflash 6: The Crusades
• Now you have taken Antioch, the way is clear for you to continue
your journey on to Jerusalem! You head South, and before you
know it you have reached Acre, on the coast. Here, you stop to
receive supplies from Italy, before continuing on to lay siege to
Jerusalem.
• Jerusalem is taken in less than a month. You have secured the
holiest of places for the Christian world! You can enter the sacred
city! What do you do next?
A. Kill everyone you find, to prevent them taking up weapons against you,
and to take revenge on the Muslims who stopped Christians from entering
the city.
B. Kill only those people who fight against you, and leave the rest alone –
they should get the message.
C. Tell everyone to leave the city who isn't Christian.
D. Leave everyone be but declare a new, Christian government of Jerusalem.
Germany
6
Spain
Greece/
Turkey
5
3
1
Acre
Holy
Land
6
2 Points if you correctly identified location number 4
6: The Results
• A (kill everyone): the streets are soon running with rivers of blood. The
more women and children you kill, the angrier the people living in
Jerusalem become. They become more and more determined to fight,
and you die at the hand of a vengeful Muslim. 0 points.
• B (kill those who fight against you): a sensible, war-like decision.
Although nowadays unethical, in the Middle Ages, no one respected a
warrior who wasn’t prepared to kill, and the Pope said that you were
allowed to – this makes an example of the people who fight back.
People soon submit. 3 points.
• C (tell everyone to leave): on dear! They leave, but 2 days later, return
with reinforcements, and put you under siege. Two weeks later, they
have retaken the city. 1 point.
• D (declare a new government): people abide by the rules of your new
government for the first month or two, but a Muslim resistance
movement builds, and soon you are attacked within the city walls, and
your troops are forced to retreat to outside Jerusalem. 1 point.
After the success of the First Crusade, which allowed the crusaders to conquer
much of the Holy Land, a Second Crusade was launched, to re-capture Edessa.
Then, in 1187, Jerusalem was taken back by the Muslims, under a new leader…